Readings: Baruch 5.1-9 / Ps 126.1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 (R/v 3) / Philippians 1.4-6, 8-11 / Luke 3.1-6
Advent is a time of waiting expectantly. We wait for the coming of Jesus, like the Jews did once before. And, we also wait as Christians to welcome Jesus into our daily life. We already have an assuring image of expectant waiting. It comes from last week’s gospel reading: to stand with confidence before Jesus. And isn’t is what we await eagerly to do on Christmas morning: to stand before Jesus lying in the manger?
Advent is also a time of preparing ourselves for Jesus’ coming. Advent invites us to repentance, to turn away from our bad habits and sinful ways so that we better welcome Jesus into our lives this Christmas. The image of John the Baptist preaching a baptism of repentance to the Jews in today's gospel reading reminds us of the Advent call to repent.
Advent can moreover be a time of discerning. We don't often think of Advent in this way but I'd like to suggest we reflect on this possibility as part of our Advent preparations.
Consider Paul’s invitation to the Philippians to discern in our second reading: “This is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (1:9-10). His words aptly express what Advent preparation must be about: discerning the value of God in our lives.
Wouldn’t our Advent preparation be blessed if we discern what it is that God calls us to be and to do on Christmas morning? Advent discernment is about answering the questions “Who is God?”, “Who am I to God?” and “How am I to respond to God coming to me at Christmas?”. I believe God desires to hear our answers when we come before the infant Jesus lying in his lowly manger.
Today, John the Baptist calls us to “prepare the way for the Lord”. Through John, the Lord is calling out to us amidst our everyday noise and clamor. His call should strengthen us to begin and persevere in our Advent preparation. And we can begin and persevere because the Lord is coming with certain hope to transform our lives, as Baruch tells us in our first reading. The Lord will indeed come. He will remove the cloaks of mourning and misery that shroud us. He will then enfold us anew in cloaks of mercy and justice and show us forth to all in glory.
Yes, the Lord who is coming is calling us to action through John's cry, “prepare the way of the Lord”. We often think of this action as that necessary turning away from the bad choices and sins we make that limit or prevent God from entering into our lives.
Advent discernment can help us see something more in John’s cry: that God is also calling us to turn towards God’s mercy. And this turning — conversion — isn’t only about what we have to give up; it is more truly about accepting the gift of mercy in Jesus that God is offering us.
As we prepare to enter into the Year of Mercy on 8 December, it will also be good to include these two truths into our Advent discernment. First, that in Jesus, through Jesus and with Jesus, you and I are still and always God’s beloved, in spite of our sinfulness. Second, that the only right and good respond we can make as we stand before Jesus is to say thank you with an “Amen”, like we do when we welcome Jesus into our lives at Communion.
How can Advent discernment help you and I to better prepare for this year's Christmas? By being that graced exercise of reviewing our lives—reviewing what we value in life, how we live the faith, who we share our life and faith with. Doing this can help us overcome the risk of forgetfulness: that forgetfulness that our hopes and promises only find their fulfilment in a life committed to Jesus.
In fact we would be wise to do this for we live in a time of competing ideas and viewpoints, a clamoring of voices, that can disorientate and confuse. How do we make sense of terrorist attacks in Paris and the Middle East? How do we reconcile the Church’s teachings and care for divorced, remarried and homosexual Catholics? How do we bridge the divide between the haves and have-nots?
Yes, it can sometimes be difficult to discern what is really worthy of our attention, even at Christmas with those saccharine Hallmark images, the never-ending feasting and merrymaking we partake in, the 'feel good' Christmas tunes we immerse ourselves in and zone out from the spiritual, and the pressure of getting that right present for those we love.
So, how can we begin this Advent discernment to better focus ourselves on the reason for the Christmas season, Jesus? By stilling ourselves in quiet and by paying attention to the voice of God that calls out to us in mercy and peace. We do this best when we intentionally leave behind the clamoring voices of worldly concerns and distractions and allow ourselves time to discern God's presence in us daily and, especially for us at Christmas.
Today's readings offer us three graces to pray in our Advent discernment.
With Baruch, we can pray to deepen our belief in the promise of God’s faithfulness. God will come to us, like God did to the Israelites in the deprivation and desperation of their exile. God will not only take off our mourning robes, Baruch tells us; God will come to come to lead us, like God led Israel, with glory, mercy and justice, and so show all the earth the splendour of who we are to God: his beloved. Yes, God is indeed our hope.
With Paul, we can pray to celebrate this hope because God always fulfills God’s promised salvation. Paul assures Philippians—and us, too—of this: the good work God begins in a Christian community to save will always be completed. Paul’s words and the Philippians response should console us; like them, we live in difficult times. Paul writes this letter from prison; external forces and internal divisions besiege the Philippians. But we hear the same good news Paul brings to the Philippians: God’s never gives up on us. Yes, God strengthens us to accomplish our Advent journey to Jesus.
Finally, with Luke, we can pray to truly hope in God who makes the impossible possible. Luke’s story of John the Baptist affirms that Jesus comes, as God’s certain hope amidst almost impossible odds. Jesus’ imminent coming is announced in the ominous shadow of human power: Tiberius Ceasar rules and Pontius Pilate enforces; Herod is tetrarch and Annas and Caiaphas are high priests. They are the mighty and important; but they dangerous to God’s plan. Yet hidden amidst all their earthly domination and dominion is that single voice of John, raised to preach repentance and forgiveness.
The Jews heard his voice. Today, we hear his voice again. John calls us to prepare the way of the Lord and to welcome him into our lives. Advent discernment—to hear, to believe, to follow John’s voice because he leads us to the singular truth that is most important, most enduring, most lasting in the face of empires falling, achievements passing, and religious righteousness prevailing.
And it is this: that with Jesus’ coming all things impossible become possible because of God alone. We can call God, Father; we have Jesus as Messiah and friend; we are sisters and brothers, equal in Christ.
Indeed, Advent discernment is God’s gift to us and our task to give back to God. Gift, because it invites us to prepare well for Jesus’ coming. Task, because we can make out of Advent that holy way by which Jesus can enter unhindered and give us knowledge of God’s love for us.
Yes, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths into our lives.
Could there be any other better advice than this for us, as we prepare for Christmas?
Could there be any other better advice than this for us, as we prepare for Christmas?
preached at St Ignatius Church, Singapore
photo: www.goodmeetings.com
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